Tag Archive for: #hendersonncnews

Henderson Collegiate looking for career day volunteers

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On Friday, March 24th, 2017, share what you love with Henderson Collegiate’s 7th – 10th grade students at their 3rd annual Career Day!

This event will create opportunities for students to explore the diverse and amazing careers that will be open to them once they graduate from college and go out into the world to change it for the better.

To do this, they need volunteers from various professions who are able to come set up a table and to talk with students about their careers.

Where: Henderson Collegiate Middle School, 1071 Old Epsom Rd., Henderson, NC

When (revised): 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Friday, March 24th, 2017
Volunteers are invited to begin arriving at 8:45 a.m. to set up their tables and enjoy coffee and networking.

Who’s Invited: Professionals who are interested in sharing about their careers and the education linked with their professions

What: Set up a table with information about your career and talk with students about your experiences

Questions?

Contact Caitlin Terranova with questions or to RSVP. Email: cterranova@hendersoncollegiate.org | Phone: 252-204-8750

VGCC to hold Enrollment Day on Saturday, April 8

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Vance-Granville Community College will hold “Enrollment Day” on Saturday, April 8, from 9 a.m. until noon, in Building 8 on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County.

During those hours, VGCC staff members will be ready to assist anyone who is interested in enrolling at the college for the summer term, which starts on May 30, or the fall semester, which starts in August. Prospective students are encouraged to pre-register at www.vgcc.edu/enrollment-day-registration. The deadline to pre-register is March 31. All who register in advance will receive a free VGCC T-shirt on Enrollment Day.

The April 8 event will include campus tours, an information session for future Vanguards, help with financial aid and Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), along with assistance with choosing programs and registering for classes. Incoming students who have already completed applications for admission will also have the opportunity to take a placement test.

Breakfast items will be available, while supplies last.

VGCC’s Main Campus is located on Poplar Creek Road in Vance County (about midway between Henderson and Oxford) at the intersection with Interstate 85 (Exit 209).

Registration for classes at VGCC is ongoing. For more information, contact VGCC at studentsuccess@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3330, or visit any campus.

–VGCC–

VGCC, Library partner for discussion of Tennessee Williams and “The Glass Menagerie”

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Vance-Granville Community College is partnering with the Granville County Library System to present a program on playwright Tennessee Williams and his classic drama, “The Glass Menagerie,” which the college is preparing to stage as a dinner theater event.

The educational program is scheduled for Wednesday, April 5, from 10:30 a.m. until noon at the Richard H. Thornton Library on Main Street in Oxford. The event is free and open to the public. Betsy Henderson, VGCC’s Department Chair/Instructor of Humanities and Fine Arts, will make a presentation and lead a discussion on Williams (1911–1983) and the play, including its poetic elements, in celebration of April as National Poetry Month.

Henderson will also talk about VGCC’s upcoming production of “The Glass Menagerie,” which she is directing. The college’s fifth annual Dinner Theater is scheduled for the evenings of Thursday, April 27, and Friday, April 28, in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County.

First staged in 1944, “The Glass Menagerie” is based in part on Tennessee Williams’s own memories of his family. In 1945, the play premiered on Broadway, won the prestigious New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for the best American play of the year, and launched Williams to fame.

Henderson has an MFA in Acting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a BFA in Theatre Performance from the University of Southern Mississippi. She was VGCC’s 2005 Instructor of the Year. As an actress, Henderson has worked professionally with Raleigh Ensemble Players (REP), Deep Dish Theatre Company, Burning Coal Theatre Company, North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, Theatre of the American South, Hot Summer Nights @ the Kennedy, Temple Theatre, and Justice Theatre Project. Henderson has toured nationally with productions of “Miracle Worker,” portraying Annie Sullivan, and “Diary of Anne Frank,” portraying Mrs. Frank. Her performance in REP’s “Distracted” in 2011 was recognized by the Independent Weekly as one of the Best Lead Performances of the year. Henderson has served on local theatre boards of directors, and as a faculty member for Cary’s Applause Youth Theatre. She is currently vice-chair of the board of directors of Granville Little Theatre, as well as the chair of the GLT education committee. She has also been the Creative Director for the Broadway and Beyond/TeenWorks summer camps for 10 years.

For more information, contact Betsy Henderson at hendersonb@vgcc.edu or Granville County Adult Services Librarian Carly Cox at Carly.Cox@granvillecounty.org.

–VGCC–

VGCC adds fully-online Associate in Science degree

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Adults interested in obtaining the first two years of a four-year degree completely online will have a new option this fall at Vance-Granville Community College.

The “Vanguard Online Learning through Technology” (VOLT) initiative at VGCC is entering its third year in operation and preparing to add the Associate in Science degree program to its offerings in August. VOLT courses are for adult learners who need an online-only educational experience.

VGCC already offers another College Transfer degree, the Associate in Arts, in VOLT, along with degrees in Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Medical Office Administration – Coding Specialist, and Global Logistics and Distribution Management Technology.

The Associate in Science (A.S.) program provides students with an excellent foundation for bachelor’s degrees in engineering, computer science, mathematics, and the natural sciences. Meanwhile, the Associate in Arts (A.A.) is ideal for students who want to pursue bachelor’s degrees in communication, education, humanities, fine arts, languages, and social and behavioral sciences.

Graduates of either degree who make a grade of “C” or better in every course are assured of admission into one of the 16 universities in the University of North Carolina system, usually transferring in with junior ranking.

In the past few years, the comprehensive articulation agreements between all North Carolina community colleges, the UNC System and the private N.C. Independent Colleges and Universities have been revised with clearer pathways, simplifying the transfer of credits for both A.A. and A.S. graduates.

Registration for the fall semester is currently ongoing, and ends on Aug. 10.

The planned program of study calls for VOLT Associate in Science students to take four college transfer courses during their first semester: one each in English and Math, plus Art Appreciation and Introduction to Computers. Students will complete the 61-credit-hour degree over six semesters under the plan, including two summer terms in which they will take one or two courses each.

Other courses in the degree come from disciplines such as Biology, Geology, Sociology, History, Humanities and Physics. These are the equivalents of the same required general education courses that students would take if they were freshmen or sophomores at most four-year universities.

“The VOLT Associate in Science program provides another opportunity to meet the educational needs of students who prefer to complete their entire degree online,” said Cynthia Young, VGCC’s dean of arts and sciences. “Our experienced, innovative Arts and Sciences instructors utilize a variety of instructional strategies to engage students. Graduates are well-prepared with an excellent educational foundation as they transfer to four-year institutions to earn bachelor’s degrees, because our programs are not only affordable and convenient but also high in quality.”

VOLT began with a small number of courses in 2015 and has grown steadily since then. Students are able to earn their associate’s degrees 100-percent online through VOLT. Advances in technology allow many of the courses to be more interactive than those offered in the past.

VOLT students enjoy several specific benefits, including priority registration and guaranteed course availability. They also have access to many online resources that are available to all VGCC students, such as library services, testing and the Bookstore. VOLT students also have an academic and career coach devoted to helping them, just as traditional on-campus students do.

Courses offered through VOLT have the same low tuition as all other VGCC courses, making them more affordable than their counterparts at for-profit institutions. In addition, Duke Energy, a longtime corporate supporter of VGCC, has provided funds for scholarships specifically for VOLT students.

Last year, Vance-Granville was recognized as the top two-year college in North Carolina for online programs by the national organization Accredited Schools Online (ASO).

For more information about VOLT, visit volt.vgcc.edu or call Evelyn Harris at (252) 738-3254 or Melanie Copeland at (252) 738-3271.

–VGCC–

Henderson Land Planning Committee and Vance County Commissioners Property Committee To Meet

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The Henderson City Council’s Land Planning Committee will meet on Wednesday, March 22, 2017, at 3:30 p.m. with members of the Vance County Commissioners Property Committee to discuss joint concerns including, but not limited to demolition or redevelopment of various properties and Urban Homesteading.  This meeting will take place in the O’Geary Conference Room at City Hall, 134 Rose Avenue. The public is welcome.

Esther J. McCrackin

City Clerk – City of Henderson, NC

134 Rose Avenue

P.O. Box 1434

Henderson, NC 27536

Fifteen Vance County Early College High School Students recognized for academic success

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

March 17, 2017

A total of 15 students who attend the Vance County Early College High School, located on the campus of Vance-Granville Community College near Henderson, have been recognized for their outstanding academic achievements in the five-year program.

The students include: Hunter Antel, Nancy Bonilla, Andrew Brame, Cameron Bullock, Brooklyn Davis, Malcolm Elam, Lehman Ford, Luke Frazier, Victoria Inscoe, Lillian Kanouff, Seth Moody, Brittney Patterson, Hannah Roberson, McKenzie Taylor and Matthew White.

Administrators and staff at the Early College High School, whose mascot is a wolf, joined special guests and family members in honoring all of the students at a “Leading the Pack” celebration ceremony on February 23. The celebration was held at the Civic Center at Vance-Granville Community College.

The students were recognized for leading their classmates with the highest grade point averages and with outstanding progress towards earning their high school diploma and at least one associate’s degree from Vance-Granville Community College. Several of the students are expected to graduate with multiple associate’s degrees.

The Early College program provides opportunities for students to complete their high school career and at least two years of college course credits at no cost to them. Upon graduation, most of the students go on to complete their post-secondary education at a four-year college or university.

Sixteen Graduate from Prestigious Vance County Teacher Executive Institute

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

March 17, 2017

Sixteen Vance County Schools educators were honored during the evening of March 16 for their completion of the prestigious Vance County Teacher Executive Institute program.

The graduation dinner and ceremony were held at the Henderson Country Club.

The Teacher Executive Institute (TEI) is presented each year by the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce and the Vance County Public School Foundation as a leadership program for local public school educators. Participants go through four all-day sessions during the school year that are designed to bring them together with local business leaders to discuss their common interests and partnership in educating local youth to be future members of our workforce and future community leaders.

Educators honored for completing this year’s program include: Facetia Branch of Carver Elementary; Shannon Bullock of Clarke Elementary; Jennifer Coleman of E.O. Young Jr. Elementary; Jill Coleman of Aycock Elementary; Valerie Hairston of Zeb Vance Elementary; Regina Hilliard of E.M. Rollins Elementary; Kevin Johnson of New Hope Elementary; Sharita Jones of L.B. Yancey Elementary; Melodie Kernahan of Southern Vance High; Mieya Petitt of Eaton-Johnson Middle; Kedecia Stewart of Pinkston Street Elementary; Orlando Terry of STEM Early High; Tracy Thorpe of Northern Vance High; Donna Vann of Dabney Elementary; Thomas Venetta of Early College High; and Adith Williams-White of Henderson Middle.

The TEI graduates are shown in the accompanying photo as they are joined by the Chick-fil-A Cow, wearing his graduation attire. Chick-fil-A of Henderson is one of about 20 business sponsors for the program. Shown with the graduates are Miles Macleod, N.C. North Central Region Teacher of the Year, standing at far left, and Dr. Trixie Brooks, assistant superintendent for Vance County Schools, standing at far right. Macleod was the featured speaker for the evening and Brooks assisted in presenting each graduate with a handsome framed certificate.

Shown in the photo are, seated from left, Adith Williams-White, Regina Hilliard, Mieya Petitt, Facetia Branch, Kedecia Stewart and Sharita Jones. Standing from left are, Miles Macleod, Valerie Hairston, Jill Coleman, Shannon Bullock, Tracy Thorpe, Orlando Terry, Melodie Kernahan, Kevin Johnson, Jennifer Coleman, Thomas Venetta, Donna Vann and Dr. Trixie Brooks.

Glen Raven joins VGCC as partner in Apprenticeship program

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The Glen Raven, Inc., site in Norlina recently became the third area manufacturer to join Vance-Granville Community College in the North Carolina Triangle Apprenticeship Program (NCTAP), a partnership that seeks to provide new opportunities for local students and to prepare a skilled workforce.

Representatives of VGCC and of the two other local NCTAP members, Oxford-based Dill Air Controls Products and Revlon, recently visited Glen Raven’s Warren County location to discuss the partnership with Robbie Earnhardt, owner of Wake Forest-based Superior Tooling and chairman of the apprenticeship program.

Typically starting in the 11th grade of high school, NCTAP is a four-year program that leads to a student obtaining an associate degree at the community college and paid, on-the-job training at the participating employer. Eligible students’ VGCC tuition will be covered by a waiver from the state of North Carolina. After they graduate from high school, students in the program will be employed full-time by the company.

NCTAP works to recruit, select and induct the participating students, Earnhardt explained. “This is a successful program at helping companies find the right people to fill their jobs because of the rigorous selection process,” he said. “We find students who are responsible and dedicated.”

Earnhardt said that NCTAP was inspired by a similar apprenticeship program in Charlotte. “Apprenticeship programs are really taking off all over the country,” he noted. “We’re currently trying to find more partners and to communicate the value of apprenticeships to high school students and their parents. We know that students who are accepted will eventually help spread the word to their classmates about this opportunity for a debt-free education coupled with a good job.”

Todd Wemyss has been the Norlina site manager for Glen Raven since 1998, and said that this would be his plant’s first experience with apprenticeship, but not his company’s. “The company has apprentices at other locations, both domestically and internationally,” Wemyss explained. Their plant in Burlington has an apprenticeship program, for example, and Glen Raven is interested in expanding such partnerships.

“We have very specific types of equipment here, so one advantage of the program is that an apprentice would be able to come in and learn how to use this particular equipment and be ready to work,” Wemyss said. “That kind of knowledge is difficult to find. This apprenticeship program would broaden our in-house technical capabilities.”

Wemyss serves on the VGCC Endowment Fund board of directors and lauds the longstanding partnership between his company and the community college. “Over the years, VGCC has helped us in numerous ways, including holding mini-seminars on site as well as both continuing education and curriculum courses that our employees attend.” He added that “Vance-Granville continues to help us move forward, and encouraging us to join the apprenticeship program is just the latest example. We’ve grown together.”

Wemyss said that September of 2017 is the earliest that an apprentice could begin the program. Shaler Chewning, a trainer/auditor for Glen Raven in Norlina, added that with many workers nearing retirement at his site, as well as broadly throughout the manufacturing sector, there is a growing need for new employees with various technical skills. Most likely, an apprentice at Glen Raven would enroll in the VGCC Mechatronics Engineering Technology program, which focuses on advanced manufacturing, which is becoming increasingly computerized.

Glen Raven has 40 locations in 17 countries. Headquartered in Glen Raven, North Carolina, the company has grown from a small cotton mill in 1880 into a global leader in performance fabrics. The Norlina location proudly displays the name of the company’s flagship brand, Sunbrella. A strong corporate supporter of VGCC’s Endowment Fund, Glen Raven has endowed several scholarships for students as well as annual awards that recognize faculty and staff excellence.

“We are excited that Glen Raven is continuing to build upon its partnership with VGCC by joining us in NCTAP,” said Ken Wilson, project manager for the TechHire grant at the college and a driving force behind the VGCC “Vanguard Apprenticeship Collaborative,” which is designed to cultivate highly skilled workers for large and small companies in a number of industries. He added that VGCC recently joined the national Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium.

For more information about the apprenticeship program, high school students and their parents should talk with their school guidance counselors or contact Ken Wilson at wilsonk@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3259.

–VGCC–

VGCC offers online four-week summer classes

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Students can earn college credits on an accelerated schedule at Vance-Granville Community College by taking four-week online classes this summer.

For the first time, VGCC has scheduled certain curriculum courses on back-to-back four-week schedules during the summer term. The first four-week mini-term will begin May 30 and end on June 26. Then, the second mini-term starts June 27 and ends on July 31.

Five courses are scheduled for the first mini-term: Personal Health/Wellness (HEA 110), Critical Thinking (HUM 115), Music Appreciation (MUS 110), American Government (POL 120) and Keyboarding (OST 131). All five are offered completely online. During the second mini-term, the same courses will be offered, except for Keyboarding.

Registration for these classes is currently underway, and will close on May 25 for the first session and June 23 for the second.

“This summer, students can accelerate their education in a fast-paced period of study,” said Jeffrey Allen, VGCC’s dean of enrollment and outreach. “We had a great response when we offered four-week classes for the first time in late December and early January, so we are excited about continuing to use this format to meet the needs of our diverse learning community.” He added, “These courses can give many students the opportunity to quickly make progress toward a degree.”

Not only current VGCC students, but also new students, including students at four-year universities, are welcome to enroll. Current VGCC students are encouraged to talk with their advisors to see if the four-week courses are right for them.

All the courses on the schedule except for Keyboarding transfer to most North Carolina colleges and universities. Students are encouraged to check with their four-year school of choice on transferability before registering for particular courses. New students will need to complete a VGCC application for admission first.

Financial aid is available for qualified students. For more information, contact the VGCC Financial Aid Office at fao@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3280.

For registration information, visit the Student Learning & Success Center on any VGCC campus or call (252) 738-3330.

–VGCC–

GrassStreet Opens For The HillBenders’ During April 1st Concert At McGregor Hall

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HENDERSON, N.C. (March 16, 2017)— On April 1st, Vance County’s Bluegrass band GrassStreet will perform live on the stage of McGregor Hall Performing Arts & Learning Center as they open for The HillBenders. GrassStreet is comprised of Wayne Kinton on guitar, David Kinton on upright bass and mandolin, Ricky Hargis on banjo and Tab Kearns on dobro.

Since 2003, GrassStreet has performed across the state and region, offering a high-energy mix of original material and Bluegrass standards. The band is noted for their unique ability to cover musical styles ranging from Rock to Blues to Jazz, which sets them apart from the average Bluegrass band.

GrassStreet recently released the album “Time Moves On,” which was produced by Steve Dilling and recorded at Reminiscence Recording Studio in Henderson, N.C. Thirteen of the 14 tracks on “Time Moves On” are original compositions by the four band members collectively, drawing from personal family situations such as depicted in the tunes “Cotton Miller’s Lament,” “Time Moves On” and “Going to Caroline.” Additional favorites include the Civil War era tune “Warren County Clay,” several songs of faith such as “Look Beyond Life’s Storms,” and a song about a late night car race, “Street Fight.”

“We are pleased to have GrassStreet perform on the McGregor Hall stage for the first time,” said Tommy Deadwyler, Executive Director of McGregor Hall Performing Arts and Learning Center. “Not only is it an honor to support these local musicians, but the band’s level of talent is stupendous and concert-goers will be in awe by the energy and excitement that they bring.”

Equally talented, according to Deadwyler, are The HillBenders, which will headline the April 1st concert. Also a Bluegrass band, The HillBenders will perform their unique version of songs from The Who’s “Tommy” album, one of the biggest “Rock operas” of all time.

Originally composed by guitarist Pete Townshend, “Tommy” by The Who tells the story about a deaf, dumb and blind boy, including his experiences with life and the relationship with his family. The original album has sold 20 million copies and has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for “historical, artistic and significant value.”

With a stylish mix of musicianship and rock-star vocals, The HillBenders will bring Pete Townshend’s original vision to life in a new and exciting way during the concert at McGregor Hall Performing Arts and Learning Center on April 1st at 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale at www.McGregorHall.org, by calling (252) 598-0662 or by visiting the Box Office at 201 Breckenridge Street in Henderson, N.C. For more information, contact McGregor Hall’s Executive Director Tommy Deadwyler at (252) 598-0662 or email him at tommydeadwyler@mcgregorhall.org.